1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to electrode materials, and more particularly, to an electrode active material layer having an interface modifying component which increases, among other things, surface compatibility between the active material layer and the current collector as well as the electrolyte.
2. Background Art
Electrochemical cells having electrode active materials applied to a current collector have been known in the art for years. Conventionally, the electrode active material is suspended or held together by a surrounding binder material. The binder material is commonly a polymeric compound, such as PTFE or PVDF. While electrode active materials suspended in such compounds have been readily utilized in the industry, their surface incompatibility with the current collector has remained largely problematic. In particular, conventional binders of the electrode active materials insufficiently adhere to the current collector resulting in a battery with less than optimal electrochemical performance characteristics. Moreover, the surface of conventional electrode active material layers is not readily wettable, which further adversely affects the battery""s electrochemical performance.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrode structure and an associated fabrication process that remedies, among other things, the aforementioned detriments and/or complications associated with conventional electrode compositions.
The present invention is directed to an electrode for use in an electrochemical cell comprising a current collector, an electrode active material layer and means for substantially increasing surface compatibility between the electrode active material layer and at least one of the current collector and an associated electrolyte, wherein the surface compatibility increasing means includes at least a portion of the electrode active material layer associated with an interface modifying component, such as the product of a hydrosilated allylether.
In another preferred embodiments of the invention, the electrode further includes means for substantially increasing adhesion between the electrode active material layer and the current collector as well as means for substantially increasing compatibility between the current collector and an associated electrolyte. In these embodiments the increasing means comprises the interface modifying component comprising the product of a hydrosilated allylether.
The present invention is also directed to a process for manufacturing an electrochemical cell comprising the steps of: a) fabricating a first electrode comprising the steps of: 1) fabricating a current collector; 2) fabricating an interface modifying component preferably comprising the product of a hydrosilated allylether; 3) associating the interface modifying component with at least a portion of an electrode active material; and 4) applying the electrode active material to the current collector; b) fabricating a second electrode; and c) associating at least one electrolyte with the first and second electrodes.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of fabricating the second electrode includes the steps of: a) fabricating a current collector; b) associating an interface modifying component preferably comprising the product of a hydrosilated allylether with the electrode active material; and c) applying the electrode active material to the current collector.